LIBRARY 

OV  THF. 

University  of  California. 

GIFT  OK 

Class 

Hn  flDemonam. 


BU  Mbitnc^  Blahe,  XX.  2). 


Born  Bpril  20,  1836, 
S)ie&  ©ctober  I,  1895. 


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In  the  following  pages  will  be  found  a  brief 
account  of  the  life  and  character  of  Eli  Whitney 
Blake,  LL.  D.,  who  was  for  twenty -five  years  Hazard 
Professor  of  Physics  at  Brown  University. 

It  has  been  thought  proper  that  some  permanent 
record  should  be  made  of  a  noble  and  influential  life, 
so  modestly  lived  that  its  course  was  seldom  marked 
by  the  conspicuous  events  which  usually  help  to 
preserve    the    memory   of  an  active  career. 

During  his  lifetime  Professor  Blake  made  many 
friends,  but  his  devotion  to  his  work  often  prevented 
the  close  and  frequent  association  which  both  he  and 
they  desired.  Such  friends  will  be  glad  to  preserve 
in  this  slight  memorial  sketch,  a  record  of  his  work 
and  some  suggestion  of  his  personality. 


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ELI  WHITNEY  BLAKE,  LLD. 


Eli  Whitney  Blake  was  born  in  New  Haven, 
Connecticut,  April  twentieth,  1836.  He  was  the  son 
of  Eli  Whitney  Blake  and  Eliza  Maria  O'Brien,  his 
wife ;  the  one  a  nephew  of  Eli  Whitney,  the  inventor, 
the  other  a  great-grand-daughter  of  Rev.  James 
Pierpont,  the  principal  founder  of  Yale  College. 

He  graduated  from  Yale  in  the  class  of  1857, 
holding  membership  in  the  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon  fra- 
ternity, the  Skull  and  Bones,  and  other  societies. 

After  graduation  he  spent  a  year  in  teaching  at 
a  private  school  in  Unionville,  Connecticut,  and  sub- 
sequently studied  for  another  year  in  the  Sheffield 
Scientific  School. 

Later  he  studied  for  three  and  a  half  years  in 
Germany  ;  at  Heidelberg  under  Kirchhoff  and  Bunsen, 
at  Marburg  under  Kolbe,  at  Berlin  under  Dove  and 
Magnus.     He  devoted  his  attention  to  both  chemistry 

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and    physics,    for   although    he    became    ultimately    a 
physicist,  it  was  his  original  intention  to  be  a  chemist. 

Returning  to  America,  he  became  Professor  pro 
tempore  of  Chemistry  and  Physics  in  the  University  of 
Vermont,  holding  this  chair  during  the  college  year 
1866-7. 

In  1868-9  he  was  Acting  Professor  of  Physics 
in  Columbia  College,  and  was  then  appointed  Pro- 
fessor of  Pliysics  and  the  Mechanical  Arts  at  the 
newly-opened  Cornell  University. 

From  1870  to  1895  he  was  Hazard  Professor  of 
Physics  in  Brown  University. 

Professor  Blake  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  from 
the  University  of  Vermont,  and  that  of  LL.  D.  from 
Brown  University. 

Owing  to  ill-health  in  his  family,  he  resigned  his 
chair  in  the  spring  of  1895.  His  own  fatal  illness, 
however,  began  even  before  this  time,  his  constitution 
having  been  overtaxed  by  the  continuous  and  confining 
duties  of  his  profession.  His  death  occurred  at  Hamp- 
ton, Connecticut,  October  first,   1895. 

8 


Professor  Blake  was  twice  marrie(l,  and  his  sec- 
ond wife,  Elizabeth  Ellery  Vernon,  survives  him.  By 
his  first  wife,  Helen  M.  Rood,  who  died  in  1869,  he 
leaves  a  daughter,  Alida  Gouverneur,  married  in  1881 
to  Barclay  Hazard  of  Santa  Barbara,  California,  and 
a  son,  Eli  Whitney  Blake,  now  of  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 


Professor  Blake  inherited  exceedingly  strong  me- 
chanical and  scientific  tendencies,  and  was  an  inde- 
fatigable worker  in  the  laboratory.  His  experiments 
extended  into  all  departments  of  physics,  and  were 
generally  made  with  apparatus  designed  and  con- 
structed by  himself.  It  has  been  deeply  and  widely 
regretted  that  the  excessive  routine  duties  of  his  po- 
sition prevented  his  following  the  marked  bent  of  his 
genius  toward  scientific  investigation  and  invention. 
The  little  that  he  had  leisure  to  do  in  this  direction 
was  of  such  quality  as  to  make  his  name  known  and 
esteemed  in  the  scientific  world,  both  in  this  country 
and  abroad.     His  beautiful   device    for    photographing 


the  motion  of  metallic  plates  vibrating  under  human 
speech,  merits  special  mention  even  in  this  rapid 
sketch. 

One  of  Professor  Blake's  most  characteristic  traits 
was  the  enthusiastic  welcome,  and  wherever  possible, 
the  disinterested  aid,  which  he  gave  to  every  dawning 
invention  or  discovery  in  which  he  could  discern  the 
promise  of  genuine  service  to  science  or  mankind.  From 
this  double  point  of  view,  it  was  his  great  pleasure,  during 
the  winter  of  1876-7,  in  connection  with  his  intimate 
friend.  Prof.  John  Pierce,  to  assist  Mr.  Alexander 
Graham  Bell  in  experiments  with  the  telephone — 
then   in  the   very   early  stages  of  its   development. 

Among  Professor  Blake's  published  papers  may  be 
mentioned  the  following: 

1.  Stereoscopic  Advertisements: 

Am.  Jour,  of  Science  and  Arts,  2d  Series,  v.  SO,  p.  SO4. 

2.  On  a  method  of  producing,  by  the  electric  spark, 

figures  similar  to  those  of  Lichtenberg: 

Jb.  V.  49,  p.  289. 

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3.  On    the    presence    of  rubiduim    and    caesium    in 

triphyline : 

lb.  V.  33,  p.  27fy. 

4.  A  method    of  recording  articulate   vibrations   by 

means  of  photography : 

Ih.  Sd  Series,  v.  16,  p.  5^. 

5.  The  human  ear-drum : 

Journal  of  Otology,  Boston. 

Wilson  Hall,  the  superb  physical  laboratory  of 
Brown  University,  stands  as  a  monument  not  only  to 
the  generosity  of  the  late  George  F.  Wilson,  through 
whose  bequest  it  was  erected,  but  also  to  the  un- 
wearied and  conscientious  labors  of  Professor  Blake, 
who  personally  designed,  to  the  smallest  details,  the 
admirable  arrangements  of  the  building. 

Modest  and  unassuming  as  was  his  nature,  Pro- 
fessor Blake  was  always  ready  to  perform,  for  the 
good  of  the  community  in  which  he  lived,  any  service 
which  he  deemed  appropriate  to  his  position.  His 
varied  interests  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that 
at  various  times   during    his    residence    in    Providence 

11 


he  served  as  President  of  the  Free  Kindergarten 
Association ;  as  Vestryman  of  St.  John's  Church  ;  as 
Trustee  of  the  Rhode  Island  Hospital;  as  a  Director 
of  the  Providence  Athenaeum ;  as  member  of  the  Li- 
brary Committee  of  Brown  University  ;  and  as  mem- 
ber of  the  School  Committee  of  the  City  of  Provi- 
dence. He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Berzelius  Club  ; 
the  Churchmen's  Club ;  the  Friday  Evening  Club,  and 
Doctors'  Club,  of  Providence;  and  of  the  American 
Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science. 


Professor  Blake  possessed  mental  powers  of  a 
high  order,  combining  a  singularly  keen  insight  with 
great  breadth  of  view.  His  colleagues  at  Brown 
University  recognized  this  in  his  clear,  philosophical 
treatment  of  those  complex  ethical,  intellectual  and 
practical  questions  which  continually  confront  a  col- 
lege faculty. 

He  was  a  man  of  pure  and  noble  character.  His 
sensitive  reverence  for  truth  led  to  extreme  consci- 
entiousness, a  delicate  sense  of  honor,  and  firm  moral 

12 


courage;  qualities  which  were  a  part  of  himself,  and 
in  no  sense  worn  as  garments  to  be  put  on  and  off. 
His  interest  in  his  students  and  his  affection  for  them 
were  genuine  and  enduring.  One  of  the  most  unselfish 
of  men,  he  was  also  one  of  the  most  loving  and 
most  beloved  of  friends. 

Although  he  allowed  himself  very  little  social 
enjoyment,  he  was  a  highly  valued  member  of  sev- 
eral informal  societies,  where  he  was  warmly  welcomed 
as  a  man  brilliant  in  literature  and  conversation ;  as 
an  affectionate  and  delightful  companion. 

To  quote  the  words  of  an  old  friend,  ''  Pure  in 
heart,  knightly  in  conduct,  he  was  thoroughly  a 
Christian  gentleman." 


13 


EXTRACT   FROM   THE   REPORT   OF   THE    PRESIDENT     OP 
BROWN  UNIVERSITY,  JUNE,  1895. 

Much  to  the  pain  of  his  colleagues,  Professor  Eli 
W.  Blake  has  felt  obliged,  owing  to  Mrs.  Blake's  ill 
health,  to  resign  the  Hazard  Professorship  of  Physics, 
which  he  has  held  with  such  credit  to  himself  and  to  the 
University  since  1870.  It  is  no  disparagement  to  the 
exertions  of  President  Wayland,  Dr.  Caswell  and  Pro- 
fessor Greene,  to  name  Professor  Blake  as  in  effect 
the  creator  of  the  department  of  physics  as  it  exists 
in  Brown  University  to-day.  He  devised  and  launched 
the  general  courses  in  physics  now  taught ;  he  devised 
and  for  years  personally  conducted  the  special  courses 
for  laboratory  students — work  never  done  here  until 
his  time ;  he  selected  nearly  all  our  valuable  physical 
apparatus,  much  of  this  being  of  his  own  invention 
and  constructed  by  his  own  hands ;  and  he  has  re- 
paired and  rendered  of  service  many  of  the  then 
useless  instruments  which  were  in  the  University's 
possession  when  he  came.  His  labors  and  his  judg- 
ment, as    a    member    of  the    building    committee,   in 

14 


arranging    and    constructing  Wilson    Hall,    were   con- 
spicuous and  invaluable. 

Professor  Blake  has  distinguished  himself  not  only 
in  the  class  room  and  in  the  laboratory  but  also  as  a 
faculty  adviser  and  as  a  promoter,  in  every  way,  of 
the  welfare  of  the  University.  Though  not  a  gradu- 
ate here,  he  has  entered  heartily  into  all  schemes  for 
enlarging  the  University's  resources  and  usefulness. 
His  pecuniary  gifts  to  these  ends  amount  to  a  large 
sum.  His  wide  mental  sympathies,  making  him, 
while  a  physicist,  much  besides,  his  serious  though 
benevolent  character,  his  public  spirit,  placing  him 
among  the  noted  and  most  useful  citizens  of  Providence, 
his  unvarying  gentlemanliness,  and  his  generosity  to 
students  and  others  when  in  need,  wonderfully  endear 
Professor  Blake  to  his  colleagues  and  pupils  as  well 
as  to  all  others  who  have  the  good  fortune  to  know 
him. 

At  its  regular  meeting  on  May  30,  1895,  the 
faculty  of  the  University  adopted  the  following  minute 
for  its  records  and  for  transmission  to  Professor  Blake. 

15 


"  The  faculty,  being  informed  tliat  Professor  Eli 
Whitney  Blake,  for  twenty-five  years  professor  of 
physics  in  the  University,  has  resigned  his  chair,  sends 
to  him  its  greetings,  and  expresses  to  him  from  each 
and  every  member  of  the  board  the  best  wishes  for 
liis  health  and  happiness,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
most  sincere  regret  that  he  has  decided  to  withdraw 
from  the  University. 

"  Professor  Blake's  services  to  Brown  University 
have  been  such  that  no  one  who  knows  him  can  have 
failed  to  recognize  his  devotion  to  his  chosen  branch 
of  science,  most  constant  industry  in  that  laboratory 
which  is  a  memorial  of  his  thought  and  skill  as  well 
as  a  monument  to  its  generous  donor,  his  deep  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  his  pupils,  and  the  conscientiousness 
with  which  he  applied  himself  to  every  task  to  which 
his  duty  called  him.  While  his  high  attainments  as 
a  scholar  and  a  man  of  science  have  secured  for  him 
the  respect  alike  of  his  colleagues  and  his  pupils,  his 
genuiness  of  nature,  his  high  sense  of  honor  and  duty 
and  truth,  his  sweetness  of  temper  and  his  purity 
of  soul  have  added  to  respect  an  enduring  and  sincere 
aifection." 

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MINUTE  OF  THE  DOCTOR'S  CLUB  OF  PROVIDENCE. 


Hn  /IDemoriam. 


ELI  WHITNEY  BLAKE. 


Through  the  death  of  Professor  Eli  Whitney 
Blake  the  Doctor's  Club  of  Providence,  for  the  first 
time  in  its  history  of  over  twenty  years,  has  been 
called  to  mourn  for  the  decease  of  a  brother  member. 
The  members  of  the  club  assembled  in  regular  meet- 
ing to-day  desire  hereby  to  express  their  love  for 
their  departed  brother,  and  their  deep  sense  of  loss 
and  bereavement. 

He  was  a  man  illumined  and  guided  by  a  gra- 
cious spirit  from  his  birth.  His  inborn  and  inherited 
gifts  were  quickened  and  enlarged  by  generous  culture. 
He  was  a  master  in  his  chosen  field  of  science,  and 
in  other  fields  his  attainments  were  large.  His  great 
learning  he  used  without  stint  for  the  good  of  others, 

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both  through  unwearied  devotion  to  those  whom  he 
formally  instructed,  and  through  the  many  offices  and 
relations  by  which  he  served  and  edified  the  bodies 
with  which  he  was  officially  connected,  the  community 
in  which  he  lived,  and  the  friends  whom  he  loved. 
Through  a  gentleness  that  was  strong,  through  a 
patience  that  was  courageous,  through  the  great 
sympathies  of  a  heart  in  which  abounded  the 
most  cheerful  mirth  and  the  tenderest  compas- 
sion, he  made  life  sweeter  and  better  for  those  with 
whom  his  life  was  spent.  Scrupulous  in  all  his 
conduct,  unwearying  in  fidelity,  stainless  in  honour, 
loving  his  fellow  man,  he  also  loved  his  God  and 
believed  in  Him,  with  the  firm,  but  simple  and  child- 
like faith  of  a  Christian.  To  those  who  remain  his 
death  seems  untimely,  for  the  world  had  need  of 
him,  but  after  his  faithful  toil  which  has  consumed 
him,  he  rests  in  his  God  who  in  His  infinite  wisdom 
and  love  has  called  him  to  Himself 

His  brothers  of  the  Doctor's  Club,  remembering 
him  with   great  love,  recalling  fondly  all   their  affec- 

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tionate  converse  with  him  in  the  past,  acknowledging 
gratefully  all  the  comfort,  help  and  inspiration  to  better 
thinking  and  living,  that  they  have  derived  from  him, 
and  uttering  their  regret  at  his  death,  desire  at  the 
same  time  to  convey  their  hearthfelt  sympathy  to  those 
of  his  own  household,  family  and  kindred  who  have 
been  blessed  by  his  most  intimate  com])anionship  and 
tenderest  love,  and  who  are  now  called  to  mourn  for 
him  most  deeply. 

By  the  Doctor's  Club, 

William  Carey  Poland, 

Cominittee. 

Providence,  Twenty-sixth  October,  1895. 

/   .        o.  rnr    ^ 


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